Miss Jessie’s co-founder, Titi Branch, passed away December 4th at the age of 45. The death was confirmed by a friend and suspected to be an “apparant suicide by asphyxia.” However, there hasn’t been any confirmation by family or medical professionals that Branch’s death was a suicide.

Titi’s death has gone far from unnoticed. There have been multiple tweets from the Miss Jessie;s official Twitter account as well as her sister, and co-founder, Miko . Prep School Negro director and producer, Andre Robert Lee, recently posted a video tribute to the inspiring entrepreneur to “Before I Let It Go”, by Frankie Beverly and Maze. The video, that ended with a shot of the program os Titi Branch’s funeral, is said to be private at this time.

The company originally started in 1997 in a Brooklyn Salon. It was one of the first hair care lines to be found in major chain stores (like Target and Walmart). Their major product is named after their grandmother.